Allardyce puts his faith in Taylor to hold the fort at St James'

Last updated at 16:05 20 June 2007

Newcastle manager Sam Allardyce is looking for experienced defenders to lead Steven Taylor through the next stage of his education.

The 21-year-old is currently on international duty with England at the European Under-21 Championships in Holland after further enhancing his own reputation during a difficult season at St James' Park.

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Allardyce believes he has a talent on his hands in the locally-raised defender but is conscious of the need to surround him with players who can help his development.

"I don't want to put too much pressure on Steven Taylor. He has been labelled a hero or saviour by the fans because of his passion for Newcastle United and the commitment in his play," said the manager.

"But he is still a raw defender with huge potential and great promise, and while he is not quite there yet, he is still a great asset to this football club.

"I am looking to bring in central defenders with experience to play alongside Taylor to help him improve.

"It's not for him to be the main man, but we need to bring someone in to talk to him and bring him on and knock one or two rough edges off.

"Steven Taylor has great potential, and when people talk of him as a future England centre-half, I say, 'Perhaps, yes'."

Former boss Glenn Roeder, like Allardyce a centre-half by trade, challenged Taylor to model himself on England captain John Terry.

However, Allardyce knows the value of providing Taylor with support, and that is driving his current transfer activity.

He released Titus Bramble, Craig Moore and Oguchi Onyewu within days of his arrival at St James' and having missed out on Bolton's Tal Ben Haim has stepped up his pursuit of 26-year-old Paris St Germain defender David Rozehnal.

Liverpool's 33-year-old Sami Hyypia remains an option and he has also cast an eye over 29-year-old Senegal international Habib Beye, currently captain at Marseille.